Lid orientation mechanism



March 28, 1967 e. H. LEDERER 3,311,218

LID ORIENTATION MECHANISM Filed July 15, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 llli =sauw mew-ma EOR E INVE/BJTOR. G H. L E FIG. 6 G E W BY 4024M;

March 1967 5. H. LEDERER LID ORIENTATION MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 15, 1965 [N VENTOR. GEORGE H. LEDERER March 28, 1967 LEDERER LID ORIENTATION MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 15, 1965 we F363 INVENTOR.

GEORGE H. LEDERER 20M in? United States Patent 3,311,218 LID ORIENTATION MECHANISM George H. Lederer, 75 Gordon Road, Willowdale, Ontario, Canada Filed July 15, 1965, Ser. No. 472,198 2 Claims. (Cl. 198-33) This invention relates to a means for orienting articles having opposite sides defined by wide dimensions relative to their thickness dimension and is of particular application to the plastic lids or containers commonly used for a variety of purposes.

Although the application will be discussed principally wtih regard to lids, it will be realized that it has application to other articles.

By the terms surfaces or portions herein I include not only flat surface areas but also the edges of members, most commonly, the edges of flanges on lids or containers.

The invention is for use with articles having a width and length relatively long compared to the thickness dimension defining sides of Wide area compared to the thickness (as in a plastic lid) and where the portions of the lid are different or assymetrical when opposite sides of the lid are compared. Such difference or assymetry means that surfaces or portion-s displaced in the thickness direction relative to each other will be encountered on one side of the article while immediately opposite the location of such surfaces or portions on the other side of the article a dilferent displacement of the portions or surfaces will be encountered.

This invention is not concerned with lids or products which do not have suchdilference or assymetry on opposite sides.

Without limiting the scope of the invention to lids it should be realized that plastic lids at present are made in molds and are quite often air blown or otherwise extracted from the mold in such a manner that they fall at random. These lids may, by a variety of Well known means, he placed travelling in a line resting on one or the other of their sides but randomly oriented as to which side is up. This invention is for use with a means for causing the lids to travel in such a line, randomly disposed, as to which side is up, and at the point wherein the invention is used, resting on the conveyor under gravity. The invention provides that the end of the conveyor shall allow lids resting on one of said different sides to fall under gravity and for this purpose provides that the end of the path shall be a pair of spaced supports which terminate at the downfiow end of the path, in locations which along the line between them, define a tipping line whereby the lids travelling down such path may tip under gravity when the centre of gravity of the lids passes this line. The means of conveyance down said path can include a conveyor belt leading the articles on to the supports or could include a vibratory conveyor with the lids moving on to the supports in this way. The supports are spaced from each other and preferably extend longitudinally, approximately along the direction of lid travel spaced to suit the particular lid being oriented so that as the centre of gravity of the lid approaches and passes the point where the centre of gravity is over the tipping line, the supports are shaped and designed to contact two portions on one side of the lid, which do not exist in the same relationship in the thickness direction on the opposed location on the other side of the lid. In this way, the lids progress over the tipping line in differing orientations. Because of this, a mechanical selection may be made between the lids of one orientation and the lids of the other orientation so that either (a) the lids may be packed in two stacks one of one orientation and one of the other and these stacks later combined; or (b) (and this is the preferred alternaice tive) the lids of the two different orientations are caused in one orientation, to rotate in one sense and in the other orientation to rotate in the other sense, so that these ro tations may be made to equal relative to each other, and hence the lids regardless of orientation reach the same orientation and may be ultimately stacked in a single pile.

As an alternative to having the supports each contact the lid at two spaced locations, the spaced supports may each contact the lid at one (forward) location at the tipping line while rearward thereof the lid is otherwise supported, but the forward and rearward locations being so chosen that the orientation of lids opposite side up is different as they pass the tipping line.

The supports although spaced, need not be fixed and may be embodied for example in a pair of wheels of either the idler type or driven. If driven, the wheels may be operated at a faster linear speed than the means of conveyance. This has the effect of separating the lids just before the orientation and tends to prevent the interference of lid margins of adjacent lids. it will be noted that the spaced supports may also be formed in the conveyance means itself, i.e. for example spaced belts may be used by the conveyance means with the tipping taking place at the down-travel end of the upper conveyor flight. Spaced vibratory conveyor extents may also be used.

In a preferred form of the invention, means are provided beyond the tipping line in the travel direction, to supply an edge which will be passed by the leading edge of a lid passing over the tipping line with the edge being located so that lids of one orientation go below the edge and lids of the other orientation go above the edge.

The lids passing below the edge are guided toward a stacking means which is well known and forms no part of the invention while the lids having their leading edge go above the discriminating edge may be handled in one of two ways. In the first way these lids are caused to pass over the edge to a second one of said stacking means. However, in a preferred form, the discriminating edge is located so that the centre of gravity of a lid passing above the discriminating edge, has not passed the edge when the motion of the lid in the travel direction stops, hence the lid will tip backwardly to be guided toward the same stacking means as the lids passing below the discriminating edge which are allowed to tip forwardly and thus all the lids are correctly oriented and placed in a single stack.

The use of spaced supports allows for convenient adjustment of the machine and the supports allow their use with various dimensions of lids having varying types of differences between the two sides. The use of spaced supports also provides a linear tipping line and with circular articles or lids, provides a further advantage, in that very convenient backward tipping of such an article may be achieved since the article passing over the edge may be tipped backward by the edge while the circularly curved trailing edge of the article falls between the supports and thus closer location of the tipping edge and the supports may be achieved and better control of the articles achieved.

In the use of the term tipping line herein I realize that such line need not be connected with clearly defined corners at the down-travel end of the supports, since such down-travel end may be rounded. By tipping line therefore I mean, the line joining the spaced supports where the orientation of a lid in contact with the supports at the end of such support, is affected by gravity and the support contacts on the line. In other words the line joining the two points of contact of the lid with the spaced supports; where, a three or four point support for the lids, is replaced by such two point support.

In drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention:

FIGURE 1 shows a circular lid, with one side up being handled by apparatus in accord with the invention;

FIGURE 2 shows 'a circular lid, with opposite side (to that shown in FIGURE 1) being handled by the invention;

FIGURE 3 shows a cross-section taken along the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 shows a cross-section taken along the line 4-4 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 shows a cross-section along the line 55 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 6 shows a cross-section along the line 66 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURES 7 and 10 show in more detail the means for accomplishing the operations indicated schematically in FIGURES 1 to 6.

FIGURE 11 is a schematic view showing the manner in which rollers used as the spaced supports may be used to space the edges of adjacent lids just before and at the time of tipping.

In FIGURES 1-6 a circular plastic lid 10 is of considerable width and length relative to its thickness, and viewed from one side, is provided with a central area 12 a deep groove 14 and a peripheral flange 16 extending upwardly from the outer edge of the deep groove in the thickness direction of the central area.

In the lid as shown in FIGURES 16 it will be seen that the greatest displacement of surfaces in the thickness dimension is between the bottom of the groove 14 and the edge 17 of the flange 16 on one side of the lid, and that no similar displacement in the thickness dimension exists, when viewing the lid from the other side and hence an assymetry exists which the invention may take advantage of.

In FIGURES 1 and 2 is schematically shown, a pair of spaced supports 20 and 22 which 'are adapted to form the end in the down-travel direction of a means 23 for conveying the lids randomly on one side or the other and a lid having its centre of gravity CG over the line joining the tipping line (which line coincides with the lines 4-4 of FIGURE 1 and 6-6 of FIGURE 2). In FIG- URE '5 is shown a lid in the same location but with the flange extending upwardly. In FIGURE 3 is shown a vertical cross-section through the lid in a direction extending along the direction of conveyor travel and along the direction of longitudinal extension of the supports 20 and 22 and showing the orientation of the lid as the centre of gravity crosses the supports, and, as the FIG- URES 1-6 indicate, the supports 29 and 22 are generally aligned with the travel direction and are spaced to support a lid, in the orientation of FIGURE 1 or FIGURE 2 'along chords, relative to the circular shape of the lid, which cut across the root of the groove 14 but do not intersect the central area 12. Thus, the lid in either orientation will be supported by each support at a pair of spaced locations, as its centre of gravity approaches the tipping line. Thus, as shown in FIGURES 1, 3 and 4; with the flange downward, the lid, as its centre of gravity arrives at the tipping line, has its leading edge LE tipped downwardly, since .the supports are each contacting the lid at the root of the groove and rearwardly thereof on the edge of the flange. On the other hand with the lid upwardly as shown in FIGURES 2, 5 and 6, the lid, just before its centre of gravity arrives at the tipping line, remains horizontal since it is supported on eachsupport at forward and rearward locations by the material defining the root of the groove 14 although on the opposite side of the lid therefrom. Thus the invention provides a discrimin'ating edge 24 extending transversely to the path of lids down the conveyor 32; spaced from said supports so that there will be a material difference in the height of the leading edge of the lid, depending upon which side of the lid is upward; and the vertical location of the edge 24 is located so that the leading edge of lids in one orientation above said edge 24 and the leading edge of the lid in the other orientation is below edge 24. For this reason the edge 24 is herein often referred to as the discriminat ing edge. Using the principle that such edge will be located above or below a lid depending on orientation, the lids thus separated in accord with orientation may be handled in one of two ways. Firstly the speed of the lids and the spacing of discriminating edge 24 may be selected so that 'a lid whose leading edge passes over edge 24 is caused to continue with its centre of gravity also passing over the edge so that the lids passing in this direction (i.e. having the flange side up) may be stacked in one stack, while lids passing under the support (having flange side down) are stacked in a second stack.

A preferred method of handling these lids, is however shown in FIGURES 7 to 10. However before this is done it should be noted that the invention may not only be used with grooved lids but with any shape and surface disposition in the thickness direction, so long as the surfaces are differently or asymmetrically disposed between one side and the other. It should also be noted that although, in the preferred embodiment, the lids are spoken of as supported forwardly and rearwardly on each support, that the rearward support up to tipping may or may some of the time be on the conveyor itself.

It will be noted that when the edge 24 is located sufliciently close to the supports so that the centre of gravity oflids will pass thereover while still travelling under their own momentum, then precision will be required in the vertical location of the discriminating edge. On the other hand it will be noted that, if the edge is located sufliciently far away from the supports, that the cent-re of gravity of the lid has not passed the edge 24 when the lids motion has ceased, then lids passing above the edge will be caused to tip backwardly under gravity approximately so that the flange is facing backwardly while lids passing under the edge 24 tip forwardly under gravity over the tipping line, approximately 90 so that the flange is again facing backwardly to be placed in the same stack. Allowance for the speed of travel of the lids is required because with speeds above a certain minimum the lids will fly for a certain distance between the supports and the edge and hence the edge must be located far enough from the support to ensure the centre of gravity of a lid passing over this edge has not passed the discriminating edge, when the trailing edge of the lid has left the support, but the centre of gravity should not have passed the edge when the motion of the lid has ceased. This effect may be counteracted other than by increasing the spacing of edge and support, by providing a stop 25 for the lid projecting upwardly from edge 24 and set rearwardly from the edge 24 a distance less than the distance from the leading edge of the lid to the centre of gravity thereof.

As previously explained, the centre of gravity of the lid may be allowed to pass the discriminating edge with apparatus where the lid then comes to rest on a surface sloping suificiently steeply upwardly in the original downtravel direction to cause the lid to slide back down for rearward tipping (as shown in dotted form in FIGURE 8).

It will also be noted in relation to FIGURES l and 2 that the discriminating edge 24 may be placed closer to the support for better control of the lids, which are actuated by gravity, if the lids are circular since the lid leaves the supports before the rearmost portion of the convex trailing edge has passed the tipping line.

When lids are tipped forwardly when one side up, and rearwardly when the other side is up it will be appreciated that a considerable saving will be achieved over the alternate method since with the forward and rearward tipping only one stacking means is required. It-should also be noted that the forward and rearward tipping need not be approximately 90 each but can be in any amounts which cause the total relative rotation between two lids opposite side up, to equal In FIGURES 7 to 10 are shown the details of means for operating on lids as shown in FIGURES 1-6. In FIG- URES 7 to 10 is shown a belt conveyor 32 for use, with means not shown, for causing the lids to travel in single file lying thereon, randomly disposed as to whether the lids are flange upward or flange downward. Side walls 34 are provided to ensure that the lids remain in aligned order as they approach the end of the conveyor flight. The side walls 34 support a pair of spaced supports 20 and 22 located at the end of the conveyor. Such supports 22 and 20 are curved on their lower sides to conform to the conveyor curve at the end of the flights and on their upper surfaces extend in the path of conveyor travel from ends located: immediately adjacent and to receive lids from, the down-travel end of the flat portion of the conveyor to downwardly turning corners 21. The line between the respective corners of the spaced supports defines the location of the tipping line where lids, passing over the corners 21 would start to tip downwardly when their centre of gravity passes said line. The supports 20 and 22 are spaced and located so that they extend along a chord of the circular lids, cutting the groove 14 but which chord is outside the central area 12 in all locations in the lid travel. Thus as a lid, flange downward, passes over the supports 20 and 22 it is supported by each support at two spaced locations, forwardly where the corner of the support rides in the lid groove and rearwardly where the flange edge of the lid rides along the top of the support. (See FIGURES l, 3, 4, 14 and 14.)

In FIGURES 7 to 10 is shown means for operating on lids in the manner suggested in FIGURES 1-6 and in FIGURES 7-10 is shown a belt conveyor 32 wherein the lids approach supports 20 and 22, in single file, facing upwardly between guide walls 34 and said supports 20 and 22 are supported on the side walls of the conveyor. Each support lower surface is shaped to conform to the curve at the down-travel end of the conveyor flight and each support upper surface is shaped to extend along chords relative to lid grooves 14 but to pass outside the central surface 12 whether the lid is upwardly or downwardly disposed. Thus it will be seen that with the flange 16 downward at this point, it is experiencing an increasing downward tipping action since the contact of the trailing portion of the flange edge is progressively approaching the point of contact of the support corners with the route of the groove, hence the lid is tipped gradually approximately 90 forward and will pass below discriminating edge 24 (mounted as shown) to fall between converging forward and rearward surfaces 36 and 38 which will guide the lid to a stacking means not shown. On the other hand a lid approaching the end of the conveyor with the flange upwardly (FIGURES 2, 5, 6, and 12) will be maintained horizontal in its travel across the supports and up to the point where the lid centre of gravity passes the support corners 21. The discriminating edge 24 is located to have the leading edge of the flange upward lid pass thereabove and such location must, as previously discussed, take into account the speed with which the lids travel down the conveyor. However the spacing of edge 24 is adjusted relative to corners 21 (which in the specific embodiment define the ends of the tipping line) so that the lids centre of gravity will not have passed the edge 24 when the lids travel stops and the lid then will tip in the opposite sense and may be guided by the converging surfaces 36 and 38 into the same chute, as the forwardly tipping flange-downward lids.

When backward tipping is desired, there is available an alternative to stopping the lid before the centre of gravity has passed the edge 24. This is the alternative of allowing the centre of gravity of the lid to pass the edge 24 but to provide, in the conveyor down-travel direction from edge 24, and attached to such edge, a supporting surface for such lid sloped so that the lid will slide back over edge 24 toward the conveyor to tip rearwardly (i.e. as with the dotted lid of FIGURE 8) as desired.

Although it will not usually be necessary, it will in some cases be found desirable to provide a stop to limit the scope of backward tipping of the flange-upward lids. Such stop 40 is located above the lid path between the supports and discriminating edge 24, and is adapted, in the specific embodiment shown, to stop the rotation of a lid attempting to tip backwardly off edge 24 a greater amount than about It will also be noted that when a lid flange downward, tips forwardly and falls from the tipping line (FIGURES 1, 3 or 10) the rearwardly converging walls defining groove 14 may contact the supports and could cause the lid to hang up. If there is a chance of this then means can be provided to lift the trailing portions of the flange down lid clear after its centre of gravity has passed the tipping line. This may be done in any desired manner, but in the preferred embodiment this is achieved by providing a thickened portion 42 on the posts mounting supports 20 and 22 which is located to be contacted by the downwardly extending flange edge 17 after tipping has commenced and to act as a new tipping line of lift the trailing portions of the lid clear of supports 20 and 22.

It should be noted that adjustment means may be pro vided to adjust the spacing of supports 20 and 22 and if desired the support orientation may be adjusted since the supports need not be parallel, although they will extend in the general direction of the travel of the lids. Further the spacing and height of the edge 24 may be adjusted and both the edge 24 and the geometry of supports 20 and 22, may be adjusted in any desired manner.

It should also be noted that the drawing indicates that where in the preferred form of the invention the lids passing over the edge are tipped rearwardly, that the forward tipping and the rearward tipping in opposite senses provide a relative orientation of 180 to allow the lids to be stacked in a single stack. It will also be noted that the two orientations might be unequal i.e. a forward rotation of 70 might be combined with a rearward rotation of depending on the geometry of the surfaces 36 and 38 and of the conveyor.

In some lids flange arrangements might tend to prevent, the tipping of the lids, by interference between the trailing flange portions of a leading lid and the leading flange portions of a following lid. Such lids are shown in FIGURE 11 with means to prevent interference of flange edges.

In FIGURE 11 the lids 110 are shown having an outwardly projecting flange 112 perpendicular to the thickness direction and, as will be seen from the drawing such flanges will tend to interfere when a leading lid with flange at the then lower edge is followed by a lid with a flange at the then upper edge. The fixed spaced supports 20 are replaced by wheels which are faired into the path of the lids down the conveyor by fairing members 122. The members 120 and 122 here act as a support and a support made up of the same members is placed spaced therefrom.

It will be understood that (although not shown) the lids 110 are provided with assymetries analogous to those shown in FIGURES 1 to 10 and that the members 120 and 122 are spaced to take advantage of such assymetries to produce differential orientations between lids opposite side up.

In the particular alternative however, means, not shown are provided for driving the periphery of wheels 120 at a higher speed than that of the conveyor. Thus the leading lid 110, about to tip is moved ahead and away from the next following lid 110 so that the flanges 112 of adjacent lids are clear when the lids are about to tip.

In the lids shown the supports provide, at the tipping line support at locations which cannot be reproduced in their relative displacement from each other in the thickness direction when the lid is reversed. Hence the assymetry of the lids is translated into a diiference in orientation which allows discrimination as the lids come off the tipping lines. It will be obvious that any surfaces which are assymetrical in the thickness direction with respect to the opposite side of the lid may be chosen to use the invention with any particular lid.

I claim:

1. Means for selectively handling circular articles having wide opposite sides relative to the thickness thereof and having an asymmetric distribution of raised and lowered portions on said opposite sides, comprising:

means for causing such articles to travel on one or the other of said sides in a direction along a path, said direction and path defining a down travel end and for supporting such articles during travel along said path;

a pair of supports located at the down travel end of said path and spaced transversely to the travel direction;

each support extending in the down travel direction to down travel ends arranged so that the line joining said ends defines the discharge end of said path;

said travel causing means and said supports being arranged so that such articles are free to tip under gravity when the centre of gravity of such articles passes said line;

said supports being arranged and shaped to contemporaneously support an article approaching the discharge end of said path;

with each support arranged and shaped to Contact such article at spaced locations during such contemporaneous support where the spaced locations have difierent relative displacement in the thickness direction on opposite sides of such article;

whereby such article will assume differing vertical levels and orientations as the centre of gravity passes said line depending on which of said opposite sides is downwardly facing;

and means located to discriminate between lids of such different orientation whose centre of gravity has passed said line.

2. Means as claimed in claim 1 wherein said spaced supports at said line comprise spaced wheels and means for rotating said wheels to provide a greater speed in said travel direction where they contact said lids than that provided by said travel causing means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,658,428 2/1928 Charles 19333.4 1,860,491 5/1932 Burtehaell 198--33.4 2,815,113 12/1957 Henderson l9833.4

EVON C. BLUNK, Primary Examiner.

RICHARD E. AEGERTER, Examiner. 

1. MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY HANDLING CIRCULAR ARTICLES HAVING WIDE OPPOSITE SIDES RELATIVE TO THE THICKNESS THEREOF AND HAVING AN ASYMMETRIC DISTRIBUTION OF RAISED AND LOWERED PORTIONS ON SAID OPPOSITE SIDES, COMPRISING: MEANS FOR CAUSING SUCH ARTICLES TO TRAVEL ON ONE OR THE OTHER OF SAID SIDES IN A DIRECTION ALONG A PATH, SAID DIRECTION AND PATH DEFINING A DOWN TRAVEL END AND FOR SUPPORTING SUCH ARTICLES DURING TRAVEL ALONG SAID PATH; A PAIR OF SUPPORTS LOCATED AT THE DOWN TRAVEL END OF SAID PATH AND SPACED TRANSVERSELY TO THE TRAVEL DIRECTION; EACH SUPPORT EXTENDING IN THE DOWN TRAVEL DIRECTION TO DOWN TRAVEL ENDS ARRANGED SO THAT THE LINE JOINING SAID ENDS DEFINES THE DISCHARGE END OF SAID PATH; SAID TRAVEL CAUSING MEANS AND SAID SUPPORTS BEING ARRANGED SO THAT SUCH ARTICLES ARE FREE TO TIP UNDER GRAVITY WHEN THE CENTRE OF GRAVITY OF SUCH ARTICLES PASSES SAID LINE; SAID SUPPORTS BEING ARRANGED AND SHAPED TO CONTEMPORANEOUSLY SUPPORT AN ARTICLE APPROACHING THE DISCHARGE END OF SAID PATH; WITH EACH SUPPORT ARRANGED AND SHAPED TO CONTACT SUCH ARTICLE AT SPACED LOCATIONS DURING SUCH CONTEMPORANEOUS SUPPORT WHERE THE SPACED LOCATIONS HAVE DIFFERENT RELATIVE DISPLACEMENT IN THE THICKNESS DIRECTION ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SUCH ARTICLE; WHEREBY SUCH ARTICLE WILL ASSUME DIFFERING VERTICAL LEVELS AND ORIENTATIONS AS THE CENTRE OF GRAVITY PASSES SAID LINE DEPENDING ON WHICH OF SAID OPPOSITE SIDES IS DOWNWARDLY FACING; AND MEANS LOCATED TO DISCRIMINATE BETWEEN LIDS OF SUCH DIFFERENT ORIENTATION WHOSE CENTRE OF GRAVITY HAS PASSED SAID LINE. 